If you found yourself drinking far more tea than usual while at home during the worldwide lockdown - you’re certainly not alone. However with this excess consumption, now is the time to be more mindful over the quality of the tea you’re drinking. Because many low cost, low quality teas contain higher levels of fluoride. A mineral which, if digested in excess, can cause a multitude of health issues.

Tea is the world’s second most consumed drink with the average person in UK alone drinking between 2 – 5 cups per day. Your daily quota could easily reach the higher end of this scale as we drink tea for comfort, distraction or to boost our overall health and wellbeing. And you would be right to do so. After all, tea is historically revered for it’s abundant health benefits, packed full of immune system supporting polyphenols and flavonoids which are powerful antioxidants.

However during this time of increased consumption, we all need a gentle yet important reminder that the more tea you consume, the better quality it needs to be or ultimately, you could be doing your health more harm than good.

This is because in recent years, scientists have firmly concluded that there is a clear correlation between low quality, low cost economy teas and high fluoride levels. Fluoride is a mineral naturally found in tea. Studies have shown that excessive daily fluoride consumption over time can cause a number of health issues ranging from mild complaints such as dental fluorosis to more serious conditions including the accelerated onset of osteoporosis, osteopenia and skeletal fluorosis.

When you look at how tea grows and is harvested, it’s easy to understand why cheaper teas could contain higher levels of fluoride and why too many cups of low grade, low cost teas could be detrimental to long-term health.

Tea leaves come from an evergreen shrub called Camellia sinensis which absorbs naturally occurring minerals including fluoride from the soil as it grows. The tea leaves are harvested in three cycles commonly known as first, second and third flush.

Mature tea leaves plucked at the very end of the growing season will have naturally over time, absorbed the most fluoride from the soil. These mature leaves are typically of lower overall quality and taste and as so, are cheaper to buy and mass market at the lower prices. Mature teas, which are higher in fluoride, also have the lowest levels of antioxidants, so by drinking low-grade teas your body is not gaining from teas multiple health benefits.

Newby Teas is the only tea company in world which buys fine teas at the peak of the season call ‘second flush’ - the finest you can buy and critically, why our fluoride levels remain low. Fine teas are made from 2 leaves and a bud which is why they are of the highest quality. In contrast to tea leaves harvested without buds and in large quantities with no quality for the mass market with low prices.

Every Newby Teas blend is sent to Eurofin, the largest and most respected AGRO lab in the world for testing tolerances allowed by EU Food and Safety and USDA parameters of all chemicals. We are probably the only tea brand in the world that pre-tests every tea we pack for their fluoride levels. These levels can be seen and compared against other tea brands within our annual Fluoride Report. 

Fluoride was not a known problem in tea until approximately 100 ago. American medical science has flagged the dangers of fluoride more than any other chemical banned by food safety standards. They have firmly concluded that fine teas contain low levels of fluoride unlike cheap teas.

Anything in excess is dangerous. Excess sugar causes diabetes. Similarly, excessive fluoride causes multiple diseases starting from osteoporosis and dental fluorosis. While there are currently no official guidelines on an individuals maximum fluoride intake, global scientific bodies have universally recommend that generally, a child should not digest more than 1.1mg fluoride a day and adults should not consume more than 4mg-5mg of fluoride per day. Many economy tea brands contain more than 1.5mg per cup. So if you’re currently drinking 4 - 5 cups of tea daily yet don’t consider the quality of the tea you’re drinking, you could be close to exceeding the recommended daily intake.

Newby Teas has been named by the Global Tea Championship as the Finest International Tea Brand, 2019. Predominantly owned by a British registered charity called the N. Sethia Foundation, Newby has for many years been dedicated to raising awareness concerning fluoride levels in tea. We want to fuel a dialogue and raise industry standards in the interest of public health. Being a charity, Newby Teas is a company on a mission for human benefit, not profit.

We ultimately want all consumers to have a deeper understanding of the subject and can therefore, make a more informed choice when choosing their tea and as a result, a healthier outcome.